


Never Far Behind

by risingfire17



Category: Assassination Classroom
Genre: Angst and Feels, Assassination Plot(s), Baking, Chocolate, Fluff and Angst, Karma is bad at feelings, M/M, Trust, Valentine's Day, Valentine's Day Fluff, faking love until it becomes real, nagisa isn't as innocent as he looks, trust exercise
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-15
Updated: 2021-02-15
Packaged: 2021-03-16 17:20:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,105
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29457378
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/risingfire17/pseuds/risingfire17
Summary: The latest assassination attempt was a fail, so what to do on Valentine's Day? Why not make chocolates in the home economics room? And while we're at it, why not talk about all the feelings that arise for the two stars of this assassination classroom?
Relationships: Akabane Karma/Shiota Nagisa
Comments: 3
Kudos: 85





	Never Far Behind

**Author's Note:**

> So I was ranting to my friend about how the Valentine's Day episode left no one fulfilled and needed to be fixed so she dared me to fix it. Did I? Well I guess I'll let the internet be the judge! ^_^

Karma leaned back against the school building as Nakamura-san walked off into the afternoon sun, still lamenting her decision to leave Nagisa to Kayano-san. The day’s shenanigans had been fun, but it was time to get back to business. Karma had a teacher to kill. A very distracted teacher at that, thanks to Kayano-san. He wasn’t terribly invested in her relationship with Nagisa, but he _was_ invested in Koro-sensei’s fixation on her sister. This weakness would be the nail on the octopus’s coffin, and Karma would swing the hammer. And, as a bonus, he’d get to tease the hell out of both Kayano-san and Nagisa about this budding love.

He wasn’t the only one watching Koro-sensei. His eyes settled on Nagisa’s small figure stalking toward the tree their target was perched in. Not even aware he was being watched, too single-mindedly focused on his goal. Karma sighed. Was _that_ what had girls fawning over him? Kayano-san said that’s why she liked him. But also, why she couldn’t have him. In that case, it seemed easier to just not like him in the first place, but that wasn’t Karma’s business.

His business was the octopus. From his high perch, sneaking up on Koro-sensei would be impossible. That was fine; Karma was more of a head-on kind of fighter anyway. Besides, all he had to do was keep Koro-sensei busy until his backup arrived. Because Nagisa would certainly take advantage of the distraction to sneak up on the target. Stealth was his most deadly weapon. Nagisa was the only assassin in class on Karma’s level, and the only one Karma could fully trust in an uncoordinated mission like this.

He neared the tree where Koro-sensei sat fixated on Yukimura-sensei’s photo. _Bullshit, I know you see me. Giving yourself a handicap for my sake, huh?_ He smiled to himself as he imagined a blue angel of death hidden somewhere among the trees. _You’ll regret that, Sensei._

But in a flash, Koro-sensei was gone. _Damn, he took the coward’s way out after all._ A piece of paper floated down from the abandoned perch, and Karma caught it as Nagisa arrived.

“Aw man, I thought we had a good chance this time. He looked really absorbed in whatever, erm, _distractions_ you left for him.” The fact that Nagisa knew he was the one who distracted Koro-sensei without knowing the whole story brought a slight upward twitch to Karma’s lips.

“Tch. Too absorbed to deal with us, I guess.” With a smirk, Karma held up the letter he’d caught for Nagisa to read.

_Many apologies; I’ve got plans today! Enjoy your Valentine’s Day!_

After reading the letter aloud, Nagisa mused, “I wonder what kind of Valentine’s Day plans a state-secret could have?” Karma had some ideas, and he smirked again. Oh, if only Nagisa’s innocent eyes could see!

“Well, anyway, I kinda thought he’d take off when I saw you rush in like that. Did you seriously think he’d just sit there and take that half-assed attack?”

“Ehhh?!” Something about Nagisa underestimating him pissed Karma off. How could they be teammates if the guy couldn’t trust him? “Tch. I was just trying to cover _your_ ass!”

“Me? What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Oh? You didn’t even know I saw you, huh? So much for your stealth!” Karma smirked as Nagisa sputtered. “If _I_ saw you, you know the octopus did too, don’t you?”

Nagisa sighed and dropped his bluster. “You’re right. I need to get better if I want to kill Koro-sensei.” His eyes were calm like ice over a sea of bloodlust that swelled only in the moment before a kill. The guy could switch his attitude faster than Koro-sensei could flee, and the affect was more jarring than Karma would like to let on, so instead he changed the subject.

“Tch. What’s his deal anyways? ‘Go enjoy Valentine’s Day.’ It’s not like any of us have hot dates or anything. Hell, I don’t even have any chocolate.” He didn’t much mind; after all, Valentine’s Day was in no way his thing. But at the mention of chocolate, his stomach rumbled. “Aw man, now I want chocolate!”

Nagisa rolled his eyes and reached into his pockets. “I have some, if you want to share.”

Karma stared dumbfoundedly. No wonder none of the girls could get their hands on this guy. Brilliant assassin though he was, he was _dense_. And this was coming from someone who couldn’t give two shits about Valentine’s Day. Oh well, if he taught him, then he’d get to tease him, and he may as well get some entertainment if he wasn’t getting Koro- Sensei’s head on a platter that day.

“Dude, you don’t share Valentine’s Day chocolates. Those are a special gift just for you; even I know that!” Nagisa’s eyes widened, and Karma saw his chance for some sweet entertainment to release him from the gloom of the failed mission. He adopted a low lilt as he creeped closer to Nagisa. “By the way, which _special_ lady gave you those, hmmm?” After all the work Karma had put into helping Kayano-san confess earlier, there was no way he’d just let it go, even if she did. He demanded payment in the form of entertainment. And, seeing Nagisa’s cheeks color, he knew he’d get what he wanted.

“It’s nothing crazy, Karma. Kayano-san gave me these to say thank you. And…good luck, I think? Anyway, I’m glad she’s still willing to be friends after… _that._ ” Nagisa rubbed the back of his head while Karma stared in disbelief. The boy really _was_ dense!

“That’s not what giving chocolates on Valentine’s Day means, dude. Have you thought maybe she means a little _more_ than that?”

Nagisa turned away. _Oh-ho, is he hiding a blush? This_ was the embarrassment Karma had been waiting for! But when Nagisa turned back, his cheeks were their usual pale shade and his eyes stared pensively forward. “If she does, it’s only because of what I did to her that night. I mean, I did what I had to do to save her and I don’t regret it anymore; it’s just…if something came of that, it’d be like I’m taking advantage of her, you know?” He looked up with a peaceful smile that sent shivers down Karma’s spine.

Now it was Karma’s turn to look away bashfully. So, the ignorance had been a façade. This was something about Nagisa that both intrigued and intimidated Karma: he never knew just how much the guy actually took in and chose to ignore. How much distance he’d create between himself and others with an innocent smile. So, Karma’s only equal in class wanted to rise above even him, huh? The thought made him want to angrily drag Nagisa back down to him. Huh. Was that how girls felt around Nagisa? Well, that was different. Nagisa actually _was_ far above _their_ level.

“So, playing the hero, huh? Wow, how romantic!” His words came out a bit more bitterly than intended and were met with protests from Nagisa.

“I am not! I’m just trying to be a decent perso—"Karma cut off his words by putting a finger to the other’s lips, satisfied at the color that appeared on his cheeks.

“Why don’t you be a hero and buy me some candy from the corner store? Not all of us are cool enough to get chocolate like you! Come on, pay it forward!”

“Ugh, you’re exhausting. I offered to share, didn’t I?”

“I want my own candy!”

Nagisa sighed. “Fine. But instead of going to the corner store, I have another idea.” He looked up with a bright smile that made Karma hold his breath wondering what this idea could be. “Why don’t we make chocolates in the home ec room? Koro-sensei stocked it just for today. And by now, all the girls will be done using it. Why let the materials go to waste?”

The image of Nagisa in an apron filled Karma’s mind, and he suddenly felt like it was quite warm for February. Ah, yes; that was the warmth that accompanied having more fodder to tease Nagisa about. “Hmmm, so you can make chocolate, too? You really _are_ the perfect waifu, aren’t you?”

Nagisa looked down. “My mom made me learn.” He said quietly. Now Karma felt uncomfortably warm. This wasn’t the loveable flustered reaction he’d wanted. This was a pain he didn’t want to see on that tiny body. He’d heard about Nagisa’s mom, how she’d tried to raise him as a girl by literally beating femininity into him. The thought made Karma’s hands itch to form fists and beat someone, preferably Nagisa’s mom. But that wouldn’t help matters, so he took a deep breath and tried to calm himself.

“Ah, we don’t have to, y’know, if you don’t want to.”

Nagisa snapped up, bright smile back on his face. Anyone who didn’t know him like Karma did wouldn’t know that smile was disgustingly fake. _I bet even Kayono-san wouldn’t be able to tell,_ Karma thought with a smirk.

“It’s fine. It was my idea! Besides, I’m not ready to go home just yet.” Nagisa strolled nonchalantly toward the school, and Karma followed. If Nagisa wasn’t ready to face that woman, the least he could do was give him an excuse not to after he reminded him of what she’d done.

~

Karma watched entranced at the skillful way Nagisa put the finishing touched on the chocolates. He’d really spent most of the last few hours watching Nagisa rather than helping him, since any attempts to “help” just seemed to interrupt Nagisa’s flow. Besides, watching Nagisa make chocolate was surprisingly soothing. Was it because he looked so much like a girl? Nah, Karma was fairly certain making chocolate with any girl in their class would bore him to homicide.

“There! Now we just need to wait a few minutes for the chocolates to harden and they’ll be ready!” Nagisa wiped his brow, leaving a smudge of chocolate on his forehead. _That’s so like him,_ thought Karma with a smile.

“Hmm? What’s up?” Oops; he’d been staring. Oh well. Karma took a napkin and wiped the smudge away the smudge, holding the stained napkin up for Nagisa to see with a teasing grin.

“Oops! Guess I lost myself a bit there.” Nagisa chuckled, and Karma sighed. _Yep. So like him._

“You lose yourself pretty easily when you’re focused on something. Makes you easy to sneak up on, you know?”

“Hmm? Well, it’s just us here.” Nagisa shrugged nonchalantly and returned his attention to the chocolates. Karma smiled wryly. Nagisa really trusted him too much. Losing himself. Turning his back to him. Hadn’t he been taught better than that? Karma really should attack Nagisa’s unguarded back to teach him a lesson, but he couldn’t bring himself to.

“As long as you don’t lose your head when it’s time to kill the octopus. which I doubt you will. You’ve seemed even more determined to kill the guy than me lately.” Nagisa frowned at the chocolates, which apparently weren’t ready, but Karma knew he’d heard him. “Which makes me wonder: _why_ so determined to kill him? Hell, you almost killed me trying to save him before. And now that we’ve found a way to save him, you become the most bloodthirsty killer in class. What changed?”

And there was that attitude switch again as Nagisa straightened and fixed Karma with an icy stare. “Even after we submitted our report, the government hasn’t said anything. They always responded when we needed new gear for an assassination attempt, didn’t they? But they ignore us when we tell them we can save Koro-sensei and the world. And ever since then, Karasuma-sensei and Bitch-sensei have gotten tense. They know it too.”

“So, you’ve realized it too then?” Karma asked gravely. Honestly, he hadn’t expected Nagisa to see the truth through his unyielding optimism. And for some reason he didn’t understand, he found himself wishing Nagisa had remained ignorant.

“Yes. The government doesn’t plan to let him live.” The boy’s eyes burned with bloodlust. “Koro-sensei knows it too. That’s why he refused to stay another year here. He’s going to die. And I won’t let it be by the government that made him a monster only to punish him for it! It’s going to be us. Like he wants.” He walked up to Karma, his intense gaze unrelenting. “You knew it all along, right?”

Karma sighed, something inside him hurting. “Yeah. Tch, took you long enough to figure it out!” He tried to tease, but his heart wasn’t in it. Luckily, Nagisa gave him a forgiving smile.

“I think I always knew, but didn’t want to admit it. So, I just pretended not to know.” Now _that_ was like him. _Tch, what happened to the responsible guy you were with Kayano-san, huh?_

“But no more avoiding it. I’m going to kill Koro-sensei myself. And _you’re_ going to help me, Karma.”

Karma raised an eyebrow. “Heh. Is that an order?”

Nagisa shook his head with a smile. “Nope. I just know what you’ll do!” Karma opened his mouth and then closed it again. Nagisa was right. He knew Karma felt the same way he did, and he followed those feelings to their only logical conclusion. There was no need for order or coordination when their hearts were so singularly focused on the same goal. Karma chuckled. This was a connection with Nagisa that Kayano-san and Nakamura-san could never have. _Pfft. Lucky me, huh?_

“All right, you got me. But you aren’t getting me for free!” Karma leaned over Nagisa with a greedy grin. “Are those chocolates done yet?”

“Right!” Nagisa rushed back to the chocolates, prodding them until he held one out to Karma with a satisfied grin. “Oh, and you might want to hurry and eat. Koro-sensei should be back soon.”

Karma dropped the hand that had been reaching for the chocolate. “Huh?”

Nagisa smiled knowingly. “You drove him off so quickly he forgot the papers he said he’d have graded for us tomorrow morning.” He pointed out the window at the setting sun. “He doesn’t go out at night anymore- says he attracts more suspicion that way. So, he’ll come get them before the sun sets.”

“Wait, so, you were…waiting for him?!” Nagisa nodded and sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck.

“Yeah. And I wanted you to stay too. Because,” Nagisa looked up at Karma seriously, “you’re the one person in this class I trust to help me bring him down.”

Karma felt his cheeks flush. Damn, this guy could be so cringey sometimes! “Why didn’t you just ask me to stay? You already know I would have.”

“Well….” Nagisa grinned sheepishly. “It was more fun this way, getting to forget it all for a while, you know? Didn’t you have fun?”

Karma began to laugh. A small giggle at first, then something uncontrollably thunderous. He doubled over, gripping his stomach. So, Nagisa had planned out everything, huh? He knew when Koro-Sensei would be back and planned for the strongest and most dedicated assassins to be there. All while feigning ignorance for his sake? Karma gave up. Nagisa was a mastermind, out of everyone’s reach, even his own.

But still, Nagisa reached back for him. Probably because, even if Karma couldn’t entirely reach him, he was at least close enough not to be a distraction or a hindrance like the rest of their class. Or maybe just because it was lonely at the top of the food chain by himself? Either way, this lone genius had left Karma with no choice but to stick by him. He may not always understand the way the guy’s brain worked, but he’d keep following close behind him, watching his back, until they reached their target.

Said target made his presence known with a sonic boom. Karma straightened and wiped away the tears that had fallen because of his laughter. Everything was unfolding as Nagisa foretold. Not that Karma expected anything less.

Nagisa was already pulling his gun out with one hand as he still held the forgotten chocolate in the other. _So like him._

But Karma wasn’t about to let _everything_ go according to Nagisa’s plan. He jumped in front of the boy’s path, making sure to knock some heavy cookware off the table in the process.

Nagisa glared at him indignantly. “What the hell are you doing?” Karma smirked. Between the falling cookware and Nagisa’s roar, he _knew_ Koro-sensei had heard the commotion and would come rushing.

He sidled up close to Nagisa, and gently lifted the hand that still held the chocolate to his mouth, softly eating the chocolate right out of Nagisa’s fingers. _Damn, this is really good!_ He made a mental note to come back for these chocolates later. But first, he had a mission.

“K-k-k-Karma?!?! Wh-what are you--?”

“Shhh.” Karma held a finger to Nagisa’s lips. With his other hand, he gently twirled a piece of soft blue hair in his fingers, drawing close to Nagisa’s quickly reddening face. When he was close enough, he whispered softly in the boy’s ear: “You’ll understand very soon,” as he wrapped a hand around Nagisa’s waist, pulling him close.

“Oh~ho!” There it was, faint, but unmistakable. The voyeuristic Koro-sensei had jumped to exactly the conclusion Karma had wanted him to. Kind of him to try to muffle it, so they could pretend not to notice and lull him into a false sense of security just a bit longer!

Karma looked at Nagisa, whose eyes had filled with understanding, and smiled. _That’s my boy; I knew you’d figure it out._ But to Karma’s surprise, Nagisa didn’t rush out at Koro-sensei. Instead, he reached up, lacing his fingers into Karma’s hair and pulling him down. Wait; why?!?! Did he need to tell him something? _Bad time to make battle plans, dude, the battle’s already here!_ What was Nagisa doing? Karma’s heart started pounding nervously in his chest. But looking as Nagisa’s calm face, he knew the guy had a plan, and whatever it was, he was going to trust in it.

His trust didn’t waver as he ended up looking deep into Nagisa’s eyes, his face so close they shared the same breath, one of Nagisa’s hands on his neck and the other, the one with the gun, pressed against his heart where Koro-sensei couldn’t see. “Thank you,” Nagisa whispered almost imperceptibly save for the breath that settled on Karma’s lips. And then he rushed out at their unsuspecting teacher, leaving Karma to draw his knife and follow closely behind his enigmatic partner.

**Author's Note:**

> I really was going to have them actually confess...and then I yeeted myself into only partially resolved tension. Why am I like this? Didn't the anime bait me enough without me baiting myself??? Excuse me while I have a breakdown over these boys XD
> 
> Also title is from the song "Never Far Behind" by Aly and AJ


End file.
